


Talk Me Down | Taegyu

by soft_universe



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, taegyu, taehyun angst, txt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:54:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25719910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soft_universe/pseuds/soft_universe
Summary: Taehyun and Beomgyu have always had a confusing relationship, but a night when Taehyun almost crosses a line causes him to question everything.Inspired by Troye Sivan's "Talk Me Down".
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 13
Kudos: 168





	1. Too Close

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone,
> 
> This is my very first multi-part work. As soon as I heard that Taehyun likes "Talk Me Down" and heard the lyrics I immediately thought of a bit of a story and this was it. If you like Taegyu, I hope you'll enjoy it :)
> 
> Part 2 and 3 are coming soon!
> 
> P.S. I can also be found on tumblr @soft_taegyu and I'm always happy to take requests and make friends!

It started the way it always did, with Taehyun and Beomgyu alone together, each tiptoeing around a line they weren’t sure the other wanted to cross. A glance that lasted a bit too long. A teasing compliment that was a bit too sincere. A hand touch that made them both wonder, _was that intentional?_

Taehyun and Beomgyu sat with their backs to the mirror, taking turns watching phone recordings of them practicing the choreography for their next comeback. It was getting late, and they’d stopped taking it seriously long before.

“What’s that expression supposed to be?” Taehyun said, laughing as he leaned across Beomgyu to tap the phone in his hand. “Are you supposed to be handsome or are you just angry?”

Beomgyu swatted Taehyun’s hand, but he grinned. “Hey! I can be handsome and angry at the same time.”

“I’ll let you keep thinking that.”

It was easy to tease Beomgyu, but the recording showed one of the best run-throughs he’d done that night. Taehyun was impressed. Beomgyu’s movements were sharp and powerful when they needed to be but fluid at all the right times. He had always been a natural dancer –it was something Taehyun both admired and envied about him, despite being a skilled dancer himself.

After the video ended, Beomgyu set the phone down and leaned back to look at Taehyun, their shoulders touching.

“Taehyun-ah, how about we practice one more time together and go back to the dorm?” Beomgyu suggested. “I’m sleepy.”

The practice room lights glinted in Beomgyu’s eyes as he looked at Taehyun. Suddenly, Taehyun was very aware of the place where his shoulder leaned up against Beomgyu’s. He felt heat rising up in his ears and quickly stood up, trying to brush it off.

“Sure,” he said, pulling Beomgyu up by his hands. “Let’s do it well since this is your last practice for a few days.”

It was Friday night, and Beomgyu was leaving the next morning to visit his parents in Daegu. He’d be back by Sunday evening, but it still seemed like a long time to Taehyun.

Beomgyu went to the sound system to set up their music, then ran to take his position as the fresh recording poured out of the speakers. They were still relying on the mirror to stay in sync, matching each other’s movements and trying to stick to where they needed to be in the formation. It was hard to judge the proper spacing without the other members, but they were more focussed on perfecting each move and capturing the vibe anyway.

They’d almost reached the end of the song when Taehyun took one step too close to Beomgyu, which sent them crashing down to the practice room floor.

“ _Babo”,_ Beomgyu laughed, rolling onto his back. “Why are you so bad?”

Taehyun grinned and grabbed a fistful of Beomgyu’s shirt to pull himself closer. He started tickling Beomgyu’s sides, sending both of them into a fit of laughter. Beomgyu caught hold of Taehyun’s arms and tried to pin him down, but Taehyun was stronger. He pulled his arms free and rolled on top of Beomgyu, pinning him down with his body weight.

Taehyun propped himself up with his elbows and looked down at Beomgyu. “I win,” he declared, breathing heavily.

“Ah, someday I’m going to be strong enough to beat you,” Beomgyu said.

They stayed there like that for a moment, faces just inches apart. Taehyun noticed every spot where sweat made Beomgyu’s hair stick to his face, the slight part in his lips as he caught his breath. He followed the line of his jaw with his eyes, moving to rest back on his lips. He could feel the warmth of Beomgyu’s chest against his. The music had ended, and the practice room was filled with overwhelming silence.

Taehyun felt Beomgyu reach up and run a hand along his side, and his heart pounded. He wondered if Beomgyu could feel it through his shirt.

“Taehyun-ah,” Beomgyu whispered, looking straight into Taehyun’s eyes. “When did you get so handsome?”

“When did you?” Taehyun answered, staring at his lips.

Taehyun started to lean down, a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind in a split second. He wanted to kiss Beomgyu. He was _going_ to kiss Beomgyu. After so long, he was going to do it. How many times had he reached out to hold his hand just wishing for him to notice how he felt? It was in every memory, every time they’d rode the bus together and slept on each other’s shoulders, and in every time Beomgyu leaned in close to whisper in his ear, his heart flying into his throat. He’d thought that Beomgyu had always been nothing but clueless, but now, maybe…His eyes started to close–

_Wait, what are am I doing??_

His eyes flew open, face all too close to Beomgyu, who was staring back at him wide-eyed. It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over his head, and he scrambled to get off Beomgyu and stand up.

“Um, maybe we should call it a night,” Taehyun said, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to ignore the flush in his ears. His eyes darted around the room. He looked anywhere but at Beomgyu. 

Beomgyu got to his feet slowly, his face unreadable. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess you’re right.”

The two gathered their things, a heavy silence permeating the space between them. Taehyun was painfully aware of every movement he made, constantly reminding himself to concentrate. They both spoke occasionally as they walked back to the dorm, but the conversation quickly fell flat. Despite his attempts to brush off the atmosphere and lighten things up, Beomgyu wouldn’t look him the eye.

At the dorm, they set their things down in silence. As they walked to their rooms, Taehyun saw Beomgyu turn towards him. His hyung opened his mouth, as if to say something, then frowned and looked away.

“Good night, Beomgyu,” Taehyun said hopefully.

Beomgyu paused, looking down at his hand resting on his bedroom door. “Good night, Taehyunnie,” he whispered, then disappeared.


	2. Too Anxious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Taehyun wakes up, Beomgyu is already gone. He spends the day consumed in his own thoughts, not knowing how Beomgyu feels and not knowing what to do next.

_I’m such a fool,_ Taehyun thought, lying in his bed just staring at the ceiling. _I was about to kiss one of my members_. _What was I thinking?_

Kai had been fast asleep on the bunk below him since he and Beomgyu had come back, but Taehyun’s thoughts whirled around him like a swarm of angry bats, swooping down to torment him. He couldn’t relax, and sleep was far away.

He replayed the moment over and over again, flipping between thinking that Beomgyu wanted to kiss him too and thinking that he probably never wanted to see him again, and how hard that would be since they literally lived together, worked together, went to school together…There was no way he could run away, even if he wanted to.

_What if he doesn’t want to be in the group anymore because of me?_ Taehyun thought, rolling over to bury his face in the pillow. _The members will never forgive me._

Part of him knew he was being irrational. None of the other boys had ever been anything but open-minded about people who were LGBT, and the chances of Beomgyu throwing his career away because of one awkward moment were slim to none. Still, Taehyun worried.

It wasn’t the first questionable thing to happen between the two of them, not by a long shot. They shared drinks a lot, and Beomgyu liked to play with his hair when they sat and watched movies together. He remembered other moments, where Beomgyu would tell him he was smart and smile at him or play with the fabric of his shirt around his wrists. If things started to get a little too real, a bit too flirty, they’d both play it off like it was nothing, never mind how Taehyun actually felt deep down. But something felt different this time. He’d never seen Beomgyu go so quiet.

The first hint of daylight was spilling through his bedroom window by the time sleep finally saved Taehyun from his thoughts. He and Beomgyu were walking a fine line, and he fell asleep wondering what it would mean to cross it.

* * *

When Taehyun woke up, the room was bright and flooded with sunlight. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and raked his fingers through his hair. He looked down and saw Kai packing his backpack.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Kai said cheerfully.

Taehyun smiled. Kai really did make him happy just by existing.

“Hey Kai-ah,” Taehyun said. “What time is it?”

“Just after noon, I think? My mom’s gonna be here soon to pick me up.”

_Oh, right,_ _he’s staying with his family tonight too_ , Taehyun remembered. It was their first day off in a while, so the members were all doing their best to take advantage of it.

“Did Beomgyu leave already?” Taehyun asked, trying not to sound too interested.

Kai zipped up his bag and threw it over his shoulder. “Yeah, he left a couple hours ago. He said he didn’t want to wake you up.”

Taehyun’s heart dropped. _So I won’t see him until tomorrow then…_

Kai’s phone buzzed. He pulled it out and sent a quick text.

“My mom’s here,” Kai grinned. “Don’t get into trouble without me, okay Taehyunnie?”

Taehyun reached down to ruffle his friend’s hair. “See you soon Hueningie. Say hi to your family for me.”

Kai shut the door behind him, and Taehyun immediately reached for his phone. No messages. Whenever Taehyun hadn’t been able to say goodbye in the past, Beomgyu always sent him a text saying bye and telling him not to miss him too much. Not this time.

_He must really be mad at me,_ Taehyun thought. _Or maybe he just forgot? It’s probably nothing._

Taehyun decided to send a quick text, just to make sure.

> _Sorry I missed you this morning. Have fun in Daegu <3_

A reply came before he could set the phone down.

> _thank you :)_

It was short, but it was something, and Beomgyu had still responded quickly. Taehyun tried to relax a little, comforted by the fact that at least Beomgyu wasn’t ignoring him.

Taehyun set down his phone down and climbed off the bed. His worries still nagged at the edge of his mind, but he figured that would fade once he actually started his day. He changed out of his pyjamas and told himself that everything was fine.

The rest of the day went by in a blur of distraction and anxiety. How would Beomgyu act when he saw him again the next day? Would everything go back to normal? Did Taehyun even _want_ it to be normal? He was starting to think that the two of them couldn’t go on the way they had been. Walking a fine line is alright until someone decides to step too close, and Taehyun wasn’t sure he could step back again this time.

He spent the afternoon with his parents and tried to tell them he was fine when his mother asked him if he was okay during dinner. He felt bad for being so distant when he knew they didn’t get to see him as much as he liked, but he couldn’t help it.

He returned to the dorm later that evening and went to Bighit’s gym to work out, hoping it would clear his head. He ran hard on the treadmill and lifted weights until his arms ached, but all it did was let out some of his energy. His thoughts and confusion were still there.

As he stood in the shower after his workout, a thought came to him: _What if I confessed?_

It was a thought he’d never seriously entertained before. Dating a member always seemed like a straight-up horrible idea, and even though he’d wondered if Beomgyu felt the same way before, he’d never really thought it was possible. Still, they couldn’t keep acting the way did and flirting the way they did. It was going to hurt them eventually –maybe it already was –and then what would they do? What would happen to their teamwork?

_I guess we should talk about it this time,_ Taehyun thought. _Even if Beomgyu doesn’t feel the same way, at least he’ll know, and then we can stop confusing each other._

Taehyun’s chest hurt, and he yawned as he stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room. He’d exhausted himself thinking too much.

In the living room, Soobin was asleep on the couch, his laptop still open on the table. Taehyun draped a blanket over him, thinking he must have fallen asleep gaming again. He was about to go back into his room to sleep when he noticed that the door to Soobin and Beomgyu’s room was open a crack. Without really thinking, he crossed the room and went inside.

Taehyun had been in their room a billion times before. It was pretty clean as usual, only a few things out of place. He climbed the ladder of the bunk bed and flopped down in Beomgyu’s sheets. He hugged the pillow to his chest.

Everything smelled like Beomgyu. Taehyun could smell his shampoo on the pillow, the faint scent of the practice room, his laundry detergent, and a touch of Beomgyu’s mother’s perfume. He knew Beomgyu’s mom had gotten him a bottle because he liked it so much, and he liked to spray it whenever he missed his family.

As sleep pulled at him, Taehyun resigned himself to telling Beomgyu the truth when he came back, even it meant he’d end up heartbroken. He hugged the pillow closer, wishing it was Beomgyu.

_Please, just let me keep dreaming a bit longer…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to everyone who liked Chapter 1 :) I can't say how much I appreciate it.
> 
> This one is very much a transition chapter and we spend a lot of time in Taehyun's head. Hope you'll all stick around to see the consequences of all of Taehyun's decisions in Chapter 3! Also apologies to Taehyun's character for putting him through so much anxiety.


	3. Too Honest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we reach the conclusion of this little story :) 
> 
> I read all of your comments and I wanted to reply to them all but I was so scared to say anything without accidentally giving things away. Every single one of them made me smile so thank you so much. I'm sorry if things don't happen the way you expected, but I really appreciate you guys sticking with me for the whole thing. I hope you at least think it's cute and enjoy the ending!
> 
> So much love for Taegyu as always <3 I hope I'll have even better stories coming soon.
> 
> Thank you all again x

The next morning, Taehyun woke up to the sound of the door clicking shut. He opened his eyes and found Soobin staring up at him. Realizing where he was, he scrambled to sit up.

“Soobin hyung, I was…I was just—” Taehyun stammered. “Please don’t tell Beomgyu.”

Soobin gave him a small, knowing smile. “Alright, if you say so.”

Taehyun tried to relax and rubbed his eyes in an effort to wake himself up. He needed to pull himself together. Soobin was moving around the room, gathering up clothes to wear for the day. Taehyun climbed down from Beomgyu’s bunk and was about to open the door when Soobin spoke again.

“I don’t know what weirdness is going on with you two, but you should probably talk to him about it eventually.”

Taehyun turned to around to see Soobin laying clothes out on his bed. “Why? Did he say something?”

It was brief, but Taehyun could have sworn he saw him smirk.

“No, no,” Soobin said, waving him off. “Don’t worry about it. Just go get ready. We have to be at the office soon.”

Taehyun stood there for a moment, wondering what Soobin knew and how suspicious it would be if he pressed him about it. With a sigh, he let it go and walked back to his room. He knew Soobin would just say it was between him and Beomgyu and that he was staying out of it.

It was early enough that Taehyun still had a decent amount of time to get ready and get organized for the day. Beomgyu was supposed to be back in time for their schedule, but he was starting to realize how lucky he was that he hadn’t come back early. Having to explain to why he was sleeping in his bed wasn’t exactly something he wanted to do first thing in the morning –or ever –and he was already overwhelmed enough by how much he was going to have to explain when he got up the courage to talk to him.

As he got dressed, he felt his resolve fading. Every moment brought him closer to seeing Beomgyu, which meant it also brought him closer to having to confess. It would be so much easier to just not say anything and pretend nothing happened like they always did, but then they would just find themselves running around the same circle again sometime. It was something Taehyun had to do, but his heart was pounding at just the idea of seeing Beomgyu again.

A pit grew in his stomach when Taehyun arrived at the Bighit building with Soobin. He had a couple hours of recording and working in his studio, but then it was time for their dance practice, and Beomgyu was back again.

When he stepped into the practice room, Beomgyu was already there with Yeonjun and Kai. The three of them were sitting on the ground together, laughing about something. Taehyun stepped in next, with Soobin following close behind him.

Soobin and Taehyun joined the group, the boys leaving a space next to Beomgyu since that’s where Taehyun usually sat while they waited for their dance instructor. Taehyun smiled at Beomgyu, telling himself to not be weird.

“Hi Taehyun-ah,” Beomgyu said, reaching out to ruffle Taehyun’s hair. “I was just telling everyone about Daegu.”

“I hope you had a nice time,” Taehyun said.

_I guess we really are going to keep acting like nothing happened then…_

Taehyun was spared from having to say more when their dance instructor walked in to start their practice. The five of them got up and immediately got to work on the choreography for their next comeback –the same choreography that Taehyun and Beomgyu been practicing on Friday night. It should have gone well, and the two of them did show improvement on individual moves, but they were tiptoeing around each other in the team moves and formations, and the members started to notice.

When their instructor told them to take a quick break, Yeonjun gave them both a questioning look.

“What’s up with you guys today?” he asked, concerned. “You’re not usually this hesitant to practice group moves but it seems like you’re just trying not to bump into each other the whole time.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Taehyun saw Soobin raise an eyebrow at him.

Beomgyu spoke up. “Sorry, hyung. We crashed into each other the last time we practiced, so I guess we’re both still a little nervous about it.”

Taehyun nodded in agreement, and Yeonjun’s expression softened.

“Ah, that can happen,” Yeonjun said. “It’s okay, really. Try not to be scared though. We’ve had harder choreography before so I’m sure we’ll get this down soon. If you can’t trust each other to do your best though, you should really talk about it.”

_Why does everyone keep saying that?_ Taehyun thought. _I start sweating just thinking about it._

Things went better for the rest of practice, but Taehyun and Beomgyu wouldn’t meet each other’s eyes.

Hours later, the boys returned to the dorm and headed to sleep. Taehyun sat on his bed, opening up his messaging app to text Beomgyu only to close it again a moment later. He was sure that Beomgyu wouldn’t be asleep yet, but if he wanted to talk to him, it would have to be soon.

It felt like a ton of bricks was sitting on Taehyun’s chest.

_Just send the message asking him to talk_ , he thought. _I promised myself I would do this. Just type something out and hit send and the hardest part will be over._

After a deep breath, Taehyun typed.

> _Hey, can we talk?_

He closed his eyes and hit send. He set the phone down. A beat passed, and Beomgyu’s reply popped up on the screen. 

> _Sure. Living room?_

Taehyun’s heart was in his stomach. No turning back now.

> _Be right there_.

Taehyun climbed down from his bed quietly, trying not to wake Kai as he slept in the bottom bunk. He went to door, his hand hovering above the knob for a moment before he made himself open it. He looked around the living to see that Beomgyu hadn’t emerged from his room yet, and Taehyun took a seat on the couch, mentally repeating what he wanted to say.

He jumped at the sound when the other bedroom door opened and Beomgyu emerged, quietly closing the door behind him. Beomgyu walked over to the couch and took a seat next to Taehyun –close so that they could keep their voices low while they talked. Taehyun looked at Beomgyu, his deep brown eyes looking back at him, and felt his soul melting.

He moved closer, their knees touching.

“Beomgyu, I—” Taehyun started. “It seems like something’s weird with us and has been for a while. But then after what happened on Friday—”

“No, stop,” Beomgyu said, looking down at his hands. “I know what you’re gonna say, and I’m sorry. I just really like you and I thought you were going to kiss me and then you didn’t and I don’t know…I guess I was just sad and didn’t know what to do.”

Taehyun stared at him, wide-eyed. “Wait, what?”

Beomgyu stared back, confused. “That’s why you wanted to talk isn’t it? To find out why I wasn’t talking to you?”

“ _No,_ ” Taehyun exclaimed. “I was going to confess… Did you just say you like me?”

“ _Babo,”_ Beomgyu said, a small smile on his lips. “Of course I like you. I just told you I wanted to kiss you, didn’t I? You think I keep telling you that you’re handsome for no reason? You drive me crazy, Taehyunnie.”

Beomgyu reached out to brush a few strands of hair out of Taehyun’s eyes. Relief washed all of Taehyun’s tension away, and he couldn’t stop smiling.

“I feel the same way about you,” Taehyun said, reaching out to hold Beomgyu’s hand. “I thought you were clueless, or that you were never going to speak to me again after I almost kissed you. I even slept in your bed last night like an idiot.”

Beomgyu giggled. “I wondered why my pillow smelled like you.”

“I’m such a fool,” Taehyun laughed, moving even closer to Beomgyu.

“How about you give me that kiss and we’ll be fools together?” Beomgyu whispered.

“Okay,” Taehyun said, already leaning in.

Taehyun’s eyes closed and suddenly Beomgyu’s lips were on his, hesitant and gentle at first, then more insistent. Beomgyu reached up to cup the side of Taehyun’s face and deepened the kiss, sending an electric current through Taehyun’s body. For a moment, Taehyun was delirious with it, his world consumed by Beomgyu and his touch and his taste.

They pulled apart, and Taehyun felt the blood rushing to his cheeks and ears in furious blush. He smiled, lips still tingling. It was better than he had ever imagined it would be.

And there Beomgyu was in front of him, stroking the back of his hand with his thumb. His heart ached with longing, with the desire to kiss him again, and the delicate thought that this beautiful boy might be his after all.

“What happens now?” Taehyun murmured.

“I guess we can be together,” Beomgyu said. “If that’s what you want.”

“More than anything.”

The words were out before Taehyun realized what that would mean. They’d be boyfriends. In an actual relationship. New worries started to rise up in him.

“What about the members?” Taehyun asked. “How are we supposed to explain this? What if something goes wrong?”

Beomgyu reached out to stroke Taehyun’s hair. “Let’s not worry about it now. Tonight, we can just be us. We’ll make it work.”

Taehyun nodded and laced a hand through Beomgyu’s hair, pulling him forward to kiss him again. Beomgyu gave in, wrapping his arms around him.

In that moment, Taehyun let Beomgyu’s words sink it. For that night, he let himself push everything to the side, letting it be just him and Beomgyu. Whatever came later, they had each other and that night. For Taehyun, that was all he could ever ask for. 


End file.
